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- Windham Hill Records was an Independent record label, founded in 1976 by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson. During its height in the 1980s, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected independent music label. It was purchased by BMG through a series of buyouts from 1992 through 1996 and is currently a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Windham Hill was originally a folk music label, releasing Ackerman's own work, as well as that of other guitarists. It then expanded to include electronic and world music ensembles. While the artists of Windham Hill may not have used the term, the label eventually became known in the industry mainly as a New Age music label, with its Billboard charting albums appearing primarily on the New Age genre charts. The label is best known for its high sound quality, groundbreaking music, unique flagship collections and tasteful album art within the form of an identifiable label brand identity. The label's records were distributed by A&M Records until PolyGram purchased A&M in 1989. Since then it has been distributed by BMG, which had distributed A&M from 1979 until the sale. Will Ackerman sold his half of the company to BMG in 1992 and Anne Ackerman sold her half in 1996. BMG began distributing Windham Hill through RCA Records and merged other music labels that they purchased into Windham Hill, forming the Windham Hill Group. In doing so, artists such as Yanni, Ray Lynch, and Vangelis joined the label, though they were not original Windham Hill artists. Jim Brickman was the last artist signed to the label pre-buyout and he was the last artist to leave Windham Hill in 2006, joining Savoy Records. Dawn Atkinson and Bob Duskis, former executive producers of Windham Hill, headlined the BMG-absorbed company and were executives for RCA Victor (which oversaw Windham Hill) and ran Windham Hill's day-to-day business. Duskis left the label in 1997 to form Six Degrees Records and Dawn Atkinson left after the Sony BMG merger in 2004. Now a majority of Windham's releases are distributed through Legacy Recordings, formerly a division of Sony BMG. On October 2, 2008, Sony absorbed all of the BMG assets and wrapped Windham Hill into their conglomerate. Sony has no A&R department in Windham Hill and records no new music at this time. It is uncertain whether or not Windham Hill will ever release any new material, though, as part of the Legacy Recordings branch, Windham Hill consistently recycles tunes previously released. For Windham Hill's 30th Anniversary, Sony BMG released a special collection kit, with an article from Will Ackerman. For the first time in over 15 years, many of the early Windham Hill artists who recorded under Ackerman performed together on August 27, 2006 at the Villa Montalvo in Saratoga, California near San Jose. Though more "30th Anniversary" concerts are set, this was the only planned concert of this magnitude. Artists included: Barbara Higbie, Jim Brickman, Tuck & Patti, Alex de Grassi, Liz Story, Philip Aaberg, Michael Manring, Samite, David Cullen, Tracy Silverman, Lisa Lynne, George Tortorelli, Sean Harkness (who also planned and invited the musicians), and, of course, Will Ackerman.
- Windham Hill Records (aussi appelé Windham Hill Productions) est une maison de disque américaine fondée en 1982 officiellement comme un label de musique classique. D'abord distribuée par A&M Records jusqu'en 1985, elle devient distribuée par Geffen Records jusqu'en 1991 où il elle est distribuée depuis 1991 par Sony Music qui devient Sony BMG juste après que Sony fusionne avec BMG.
- Windham Hill Records è un'etichetta discografica statunitense fondata dal chitarrista William Ackerman e dalla moglie Anne Robinson. Nel 1976 la Windham Hill apre con la produzione di alcuni lavori di musica folk dello stesso Ackerman e di altri chitarristi dello stesso genere. Solo successivamente vengono messi sotto contratto artisti di musica etnica ed elettronica e, benché questi non si siano mai definiti esplicitamente "new age", i critici delle riviste specializzate hanno cominciato, soprattutto dagli anni '80 in poi, a etichettare i lavori della Windham Hill come appartenenti a questo genere musicale. Caratteristica comune agli album usciti in quegli anni è l'ottima qualità tecnica delle incisioni, pur in mancanza di supporti digitali (che verranno qualche anno dopo), con suoni puliti e distorsioni ridotte praticamente a zero. Le copertine avevano una grafica essenziale ed elegante, e la Windham Hill acquisisce in breve tempo un grande prestigio distinguendosi tra le molte etichette indipendenti nate in quel periodo. Per la distribuzione, l'etichetta si è servita della A&M Records, fino a che quest'ultima non è stata acquisita dalla Polygram nel 1989. A partire da quella data, i dischi sono stati distribuiti dalla BMG, che nel 1992 ha acquistato da Ackerman il 50% della società e nel 1996 l'altro 50%. Attraverso la RCA, la Windham Hill si è poi fusa con altre etichette quali la Private Music di Peter Baumann e la High Street Records, costituendo il "Windham Hill Group". Con questa fusione, vengono a far parte del gruppo altri artisti quali Yanni, Vangelis e Ray Lynch che originariamente incidevano per etichette diverse. Dopo la fusione tra Sony Music e BMG-Ariola avvenuta nel 2004, gli album Windham Hill sono stati editi sotto etichetta Legacy Recordings, una divisione della Sony BMG che ripubblica il catalogo "storico" della casa discografica, ma è improbabile che venga pubblicato nuovo materiale sotto etichetta Windham Hill. Solo nel 2006, in occasione del trentesimo anniversario dell'etichetta, la Sony BMG ha pubblicato con etichetta Windham Hill un cofanetto celebrativo in edizione limitata, contenente anche un articolo scritto appositamente da William Ackerman.
- ウィンダム・ヒル・レコード（Windham Hill Records）は1976年にギタリストのウィリアム・アッカーマンと彼の前妻アン・ロビンソンにより創設されたレコード・レーベルで、ウィンダム・ヒル・グループ（The Windham Hill Group）の本体となっている。 アッカーマン自身のフォーク・ミュージックのレーベルとして発足し、現在はクラシックやジャズなどのジャンルのインストゥルメンタル音楽を扱っている。 かつてはジャズ部門（ウィンダム・ヒル・ジャズ）もあったが、現在は閉鎖している。この部門にフュージョン・ギタリストのラス・フリーマンが設立したピーク・レコードもあったが、閉鎖に伴いピークはコンコード・ミュージック・グループに移籍した。 ジョージ・ウィンストン等の活躍によって1980年代のニューエイジ・ミュージックのブームの一翼を担った。尚、彼はウィンダム・ヒル内に自己レーベルダンシング・キャット・レコードを持っている。 これらウィンダム・ヒル・レーベルを1980年代当時、日本では旧キャニオン・レコード（ポニーキャニオン）がＣＤ等の販売を取り扱った。 現在はソニーBMGの旧BMGが持つRCAビクターが直接の親会社にあたる。国内盤の販売はBMG JAPANから。
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